CENTRAL PARK
#22, Spring 1993

PO Box 1446
New York NY, 10023

200 pp., $7.50

This is a special issue devoted to
childhood sexual abuse, and though any issue of CENTRAL
PARK will jolt you out of any complacency you might
be suffering from, this one is unsparing in its direct
confrontation of the horror inflicted on children by
the adults who are responsible for their care. After
reading through it you come to the awareness that abuse
of the very means by which our species reproduces affects
the individual in ways he or she will never fully comprehend
because so much of the foundation of reality has been
distorted. As you read, piece after piece rips into
you, forcing you face down into the vomit of violations,
emotional tyranny, and the tearing of flesh as a father,
mother, babysitter, etc. unwinds the soul of a child
from its moorings for a moment of perfect consumer
gratification. And we are reminded that these monsters
are most times well respected members of society, hiding,
even from themselves, the agony that originates in
that moment. If you give a damn you should read/see
this. But gather your courage, you will be forced to
confront inexhaustible pain.--Jake Berry

This is a thematic "Childhood Sexual Abuse"
special issue, edited by Eve Ensler and Stacey Schrader,
featuring a wide-ranging and direct selection of poetry,
fiction, graphics and essays. As an incest survivor
myself, I approach this one with strongly mixed emotions:
relief and elation to know that I am not alone, that
my experiences are not unique; trepidation and fear
at the prospect of reliving all the pain & anger
once more. Both of these forebodings are justified.
Reading these, I am again allied with & supported
by my fellow survivors; simultaneous my personal inner
demons are again summoned: the self-deprication, self-blame,
self-sabotage. Certainly, the writing is powerful,
and (more importantly) rings true. And, certainly,
since silence is central to the crime of childhood
sexual abuse, a strong speaking-out such as this does
material damage to the perpetrators and to the societal
systems that allow it. But beyond these considerations,
larger issues emerge: is this work merely cathartic,
an important therapeutic exercise for the writer that
ought rightfully remain private? Worse, does the sensationalism
and political currency of the topic count for too much,
letting writers get away with less craft & skill?
I can't pretend to be qualified to answer these questions
objectively. I can only recommend this issue of CENTRAL
PARK, unequivocally, as an place to examine the evidence
and decide for ones self.--luigi